Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween
by BJXCBFOREVER
Summary: The first Special Story. When Oogie believes it's time to get a new henchman, he, Lock, Shock and Barrel create a new henchman. One that resembles Jack, and one that starts a whole mess of adventures. Spoilers for the Cobwebs Series. Read the series first
1. Prologue

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Prologue

You walk along the winding pathway, looking around you. There are tall trees everywhere, taller then any other tree you've ever seen. The tops of these giants are covered by fog. You walk into the middle of a circle of trees, all with oddly coloured bark. Each one of the trees have different pictures on them, carved into the wood.

You are startled by a flock of scared crows, who fly off into the distance. You turn back to the trees and examine them.

You hear a voice. It is familiar, but you cannot think of the owner to the voice. It does distract you slightly, but you still keep your eyes on the trees.

_T'was a long time ago, though longer now, it may seem,_

_For in the town of Halloween, _

The first door has a red present on it, decorated with stars and it makes you think of fireworks.

The next, has a dark red heart on it and it makes you think of love and affection.

_There lived an evil, bug-filled sack,_

_Who had a well-known rivalry with Pumpkin King Jack,_

The next, has a forest green shamrock on it, and you think of little green men with ginger beards.

The one after that is a large egg, decorated with pink, white, yellow and blue and makes you think of rabbits and chocolate.

_Now, you've probably wondered where this series came from,_

_If you haven't, I'd say that it's time you begun,_

_Now, it didn't start out with Jack finding his future son and our future prince,_

The one after that is a carving of a turkey, and it makes you think of a certain sorcerer's love of food.

The next one, is one you recognize straight away. It is the door a certain king used to enter the land of winter, presents and joy.

_This was just the beginning of a plan,_

_That would take Jack down and place the town in Oogie's hand,_

_But it was only after Oogie got rid of his Jack-remake,_

_That he realized that that was his one, big mistake…_

And the next, is the door to the land where all things scary are. It is the door to the land, where Maverick, Jack and Cobweb lives. Suddenly, the door is thrown open and a gust of wind pulls you in. You hear the door slam shut behind you.

You fall into the darkness, which pulls you into a brand new story…

…

Author's note:

Hola, amigos! I'm back! Who missed me? *Cricket chirps* Oh, thanks guys! Well, technically, I was back on Saturday, but I needed to rest and plan before I began writing again.

Wow, I find an Internet Café in Spain and go onto FanFiction, and what do I find? Lots of reviews. Thanks, guys!

So, what do I give you in return? The first Cobwebs Series Special Story! Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween! If you can't tell by the rhyme, it's a prequel to Cobwebs Tend to Grow on Halloween. In this story, you'll find out what happened to Cobweb before he was found by Jack. Exciting, no?

You'll also be pleased to know that I took a writing pad with me on holiday, which is full of The Two Flames, plans for the Special Stories and a lovely one-shot you might enjoy! *Thumbs up* This is how kind I was to you all.

In other news, Spain was fun! Went to a water park, hung out at the pool, built sand castles on the beach and, basically, lazed about all day, every day!

The rhyme is to the one on Nightmare Revisited, read by the wonderful Danny Elfman!

So, this is where our story begins. Find out what happens next time…

Oh, and p.s.: Maverick's back too.

Mav: *Waves* Hi, guys!


	2. Oogie's Plan

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 1

The crowd were all cheering and singing as their Pumpkin King was being pulled along on the wooden horse, clad in his scarecrow costume. Everyone parted as they let the horse come through.

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back,_

_And scream like a banshee,_

_Make you jump out of your skin!_

_This is Halloween_

_Everybody scream!_

The Pumpkin King reached out and plucked a lit torch from a witch's hand.

_Won't you please make way for a very special guy?_

The Pumpkin King lowered the torch into his mouth and swallowed the flame. He seemed fine, despite being on fire. In fact, he was dancing upon the horse.

_Our man Jack is king of the Pumpkin Patch_

_Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!_

The Pumpkin King lowered himself and breathed fire upon some of the town's people, making them recoil and scream in fright. The horse made its way towards the town's fountain, where the Pumpkin King jumped, did a flip in mid air and landed in the water while everyone sang.

Corpse Kid and Mummy both made their way to the fountain, leaning in to try and spot the Pumpkin King.

_In this town, we call home_

_Everyone hail to the Pumpkin Song_

Suddenly, Jack Skellington rose hauntingly out of the water, hands to his chest. His scarecrow outfit was gone and he now wore his trademark pinstriped suit and bat bow tie. His tie, flattened from being too long under water, puffed up slowly as he rose. Jack stretched his arm out for the crowd as they cheered. "Thank you! Thank you!" The skeleton called out happily.

The citizens of Halloween Town cheered for their Pumpkin King.

Meanwhile, across town, Oogie Boogie, a living, bug-filled, burlap sack, watched Jack Skellington shake the hands of the town's citizens. Oogie frowned. That should be him. He was supposed to be Pumpkin King, not that idiotic skeleton. _He _was supposed to rule Halloween Town! What had he been reduced to? The shadow on the moon at night, who filled people's dreams to the brim with fright. Great. Jack was the king of Halloween Town and he was reduced to a shadow on a moon, singing one, single lyric in their annual song 'This Is Halloween'. Well, that was the icing on the hate cake! Oh, well. Oogie would have his revenge soon enough.

Oogie grumbled as he turned and trudged back to the old tree house. Sometimes, Oogie would wonder how the tree house even managed to stay up right without toppling over. Honestly, who's big idea was it to have a flippin' tree house on a tree that looked like it couldn't even hold its own branches up? Ignoring this, Oogie slipped into the cage, scrunching up to try and fit. Slowly, the cage began to rise up into the tree house. Oogie let out a few grumbles as he tried to squeeze out of the cage. One he managed to (which took longer then he'd planned), he sat down on an old, battered sofa. Crossing his arms and frowning, he waited for his three henchmen to come home.

…

Oogie had dozed off, his head back and his mouth open; letting out loud snores, when he heard the three little brats come home. They were arguing over something, something about candy. Oogie snorted as he awoke to the sound of his name being called.

"Mr. Oogie!" Shock called to him impatiently. "Tell Lock and Barrel that I deserve more candy then they do!"

Oogie blinked at the them. Ever since he'd met these children, he'd been some sort of fatherly figure to them. If not that, then a teacher. He taught them how to be bad, how to trick people in to giving them what they wanted. And how to act like good, little monsters in front of Jack Skellington, then changing back into their mischievous selves behind his back. Sure, they'd gotten punished a couple of times. But, still, it was nothing major.

"Nuh-uh!" Lock countered, running over with Barrel, who, for some reason, had a pot on his head. "I deserve more 'cause I thought of the plan!"

"I made it _work!_ If it weren't for me, Jack would've punished you for sure, dummy-head!"

"You're the dummy-head!"

Oogie frowned and let a hand (if you could call it that) move down his face. "Children, children!" He boomed and the children's fighting seized. "Usually, I'd love to see you kids fight each other until one surrenders, but, right now, I'm _tired!"_

The three children looked at each other (though, how Barrel did this with a pot on his head was a mystery). Their master was _tired? _What kind of excuse was _that? _Lock reached into the sack he was carrying and held up a yellow bug. "We got this for ya."

Oogie's eye sockets snapped back open and he looked down at the bug, his snake tongue licking at his burlap lips. He reached down at a speed no one had ever seen him move at and snatched the bug from the boy's hand. He immediately slapped his hand to his mouth, allowing the bug in between his lips and gulped the thing down. Oogie didn't chew. He never did. How can someone chew with no lips? Besides, if he did chew, that would mean he was technically eating it. Would that be cannibalism? He didn't know.

Stupid Jack. It was his fault Oogie was living in and/or below a tree house, living off bugs and any other food Lock, Shock and Barrel would bring him.

"I say we should paintball his house!" Lock exclaimed and it took a moment for Oogie to realize that they were talking about Jack.

"No…" Oogie muttered thoughtfully. "No. We can't keep pullin' pranks on 'im."

"We could…kidnap Shadow." Barrel suggested, though it sounded more like a question. His voice echoed through the pot.

"Nah. Not in the mood. Besides, she threatened me last time…" Oogie added, grumbling. He sighed. He just couldn't think. What was a good way to get to Jack? Jack's parents were dead, so it wasn't like Oogie could threaten them. And he'd used the whole 'kidnap-the-sorceress-that-Jack-happens-to-be-in-love-with' trick too many times now. The sack stood, stretching. He trudged towards the large pipe and stuck his head through, pushing himself in. When he decided this was not a good angle, he pushed himself out and tried going down backside-first. When that didn't work, he sighed and tried the headfirst way again. Just as his lower body tried to get into the pipe, he suddenly stopped. Oogie let out a sigh. "Kids, I'm stuck again…"

The three minions looked at each other before Shock shrugged. Lock grabbed a plunger, Shock grabbed a broom and Barrel (who could barely see at this very moment) grabbed a pitchfork. They began pushing Oogie down with their weapons. "Maybe we should make this pipe bigger…" Barrel muttered and was ignored.

Eventually, they managed to push their buggy leader down the pipe. Oogie hollered as he fell onto the round table in the middle of his brightly-lit casino. "Gently!" He called up, rubbing his head.

Soon, Lock, Shock and Barrel fell down as well. Lock jumped off the table as Shock fell, who jumped out of the way as Barrel fell, headfirst, onto the table. He bounced out of the pot, as though there was some sort of rubber-like substance inside that made his head pop right out. The child sighed in relief. "Finally…" He muttered.

Oogie stood on the edge of the casino, arms crossed. "There's gotta be somethin' we haven't tried…"

"Ow!" Shock yelped as she tripped over something. She readjusted her hat and looked over. A piece of metal stuck out from under a large, dusty sheet.

Oogie looked over his shoulder at her. That was the things he'd won from Dr. Finkelstein in a gambling match. Just some old bits and bobs the doctor had in his lab. Oogie would've thought that the doctor had made them into something years ago. Perhaps a companion, a person…a minion. A light bulb clicked on in Oogie's head as an idea struck him. He jogged, as fast as he could, over to the pile of metal and removed the sheet. "That's it…"

"What's it?" Lock asked.

"Kids," Oogie began, picking up a metal sphere. "We're gonna make a new minion!"

"A new minion?" The children asked in unison, looking at each other as they did.

"Not just any ol' minion." Oogie picked up another piece of metal, a rather sharp piece, and began scraping it along the sphere. The children tilted their heads in curiosity. "This one's gonna look just like…" He turned the sphere around.

Jack Skellington's face was etched into the sphere, the eye sockets closed and the mouth set into a thin line; like this Jack look-alike was sleeping. The children let out a little 'ooh' as Oogie finished his sentence:

"Jack."

Author's note:

Ah ha! Oogie's got an idea!

Mav: Cob's first mention, too.

Me: Hey, what're you doing here?

Mav: You said I could be co-host.

Me: Oh…Yeah. He's gonna be my co-host in the author's note for the special stories.

Mav: Yay!

Me: You won't be saying that when I write 'From Little Flame to Raging Fire'.

Mav: *Whimpers*

Me: *Grins* So, Oogie's got a plan!

Mav: Will this 'new creation' succeed?

Me: Will it fail?

Mav and Me: Find out next time…

Mav: Now, where's my flippin' pay check?


	3. Barrel's Suggestions

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 2

Lock, Shock and Barrel stared at Oogie confusedly. Why would their new creation look like Jack? Wasn't Jack their enemy? What was going through their master's mind? "What d'ya mean, Mr. Oogie?" Shock asked.

"Ain't it obvious, kids?" Oogie replied with his own question. "If our creation looks like ol' Funny-Bones, people will think he's related to Jack! They'll treat 'im with respect! Then we'll strike!"

Lock, Shock and Barrel looked at each other, smiling with delight. They would bring Jack Skellington down. At last. No more getting punished. No more lectures. No more Jack.

"C'mon," Oogie said. "Let's set up."

…

The next thing anyone knew, Oogie was working away at some of the metal parts, muttering to himself. The panel- which Oogie would usually use to tie people down on before dropping them into lava- was flipped horizontally. The sphere- no, the _head _of their new creation laid on it.

"Here, Mr. Oogie!" Shock ran over to him, clutching something in her hands. Oogie looked down as she approached. "Look what I found!" She held out her hands.

Oogie took the objects from her. There were several pieces of metal in his hands. They were all thin and long.

"They could be its fingers!" Shock explained, sounding rather proud of herself.

True enough, the pieces did look like Jack's fingers, though a little shorter. Perfect. Oogie smirked. "Nice." He said, just as Lock ran over.

"And this could be his arm!" The devil exclaimed, holding up a long piece of metal.

The one thing Oogie had noticed when he had received the parts from Dr. Finkelstein, was that most of them were shaped like bones. This just made everything easier. If they're creation was to look like Jack Skellington, obviously they would need bones. Lots of them.

"We should give 'im hair!" Barrel exclaimed.

"No we shouldn't, doofus!" Lock replied. "He's gotta look like Jack! Jack doesn't have hair!"

"Who said it's gonna be a boy, anyway?" Shock asked. "We could make a girl!"

"Nuh-uh!" Lock argued. "We're gonna make a boy! Cause boys are better then girls!"

"Yeah!" Barrel agreed. "Girls have cooties!"

"What did you just say?" Shock asked.

Oogie growled angrily and rubbed his temples. "Children! First of all, we're makin' a boy!"

Lock and Barrel stuck their tongues out at Shock, who crossed her arms and turned away. The boys high-fived each other.

"Second of all, boys are not better then girls! Shock was the one who spray-painted the town hall while you kids were getting lectured by the skeleton!"

This made the boys stop and hang their heads in embarrassment. Shock raised her head up high triumphantly.

"Now, all of ya, be quiet! I'm tryin' t' work this out!" Oogie ordered. He went back to his pondering. To make this thing come to life, they would need electricity. Oogie frowned even more. Where would they get enough electricity to awaken their 'project'? Oh, well. Oogie would cross that bridge when he got to it. Right now, all they had was his head, his fingers and one arm.

Looking over at the pile of metal, Oogie wondered. The majority of the metal was shaped like bones anyway, which, he supposed, was a good thing. Any other parts he could shape with some sort of sander.

"I'm telling you, we should give him hair!" Barrel exclaimed.

"No! That'll make 'im look stupid!" Lock sneered.

"No, it wouldn't!"

"Yes, it would, dummy-head!" Shock replied.

Barrel stubbornly crossed his arms and turned away, frowning.

"No…" Oogie muttered, making the three children turn to him. "That's not such a bad idea…Giving the kid hair will make 'im different then Jack, but not too different that Skellington won't recognize 'im…"

Barrel turned and smiled widely while Lock and Shock's jaws dropped. Finally, someone was listening to Barrel and agreeing with him. And it was their master, Oogie Boogie, no less! Barrel felt proud.

"But we'll work on the details later." Oogie announced. "Right now, we gotta make his body."

The children turned to each other and grinned.

"C'mon, kids," Oogie grinned. "Let's get to work."

Lock, Shock and Barrel jumped and cheered.

…

That night, when Oogie, Lock and Shock had gone to bed, Barrel stayed up. He sat on the floor, legs crossed and staring up at the skull on the panel. It looked like Jack. A lot. Though, he supposed, that was the point. It was supposed to look like Jack. But this project was going to take Jack down and put Oogie on the throne.

He'd never admit this, but, sometimes, Barrel didn't see anything wrong with Jack. He was the king, so it was obvious he was supposed to defend his town. Besides, when Barrel and the others were good, Jack would reward them with lollipops and toffees. Lock and Shock always threw their's away (or, made Barrel believe that they did), and Barrel knew why. If Oogie caught them with something given to them by Jack, he would be very angry and they would be severely punished.

The most severe punishment Jack had given them, Barrel recalled, was that they were not allowed to go trick-or-treating in the Human World, which, the king knew, they loved. Humans were so easy to scare and their reactions were funny; screaming and jumping like that.

Barrel smiled up at the skull. Maybe, when this person was all built up, he could go trick-or-treating with them. Just the four of them. He could help them collect bugs for Oogie, too.

Barrel's smile widened. "You look like Jack, but you'll be as evil as Oogie and the rest of us."

With that, the costume-clad child ran off to go to bed.

…

Author's note:

Me: *Growls angrily* Stupid school! Keeping me busy like that! I have a project to do on metal! Who does a project on _metal? _*Turns to Maverick* And don't you dare put your hand up!

Mav: *Hand half-raised, but slowly puts it back down. Turns to you* Now, as J just said, school kept her busy. Sorry about the wait.

Me: I've only had the time to write 50 Sentences and The Two Flames one-shots, cause they were short!

Mav: *Pinching the bridge of his nose* I cannot believe you paired my mother with _Montarg!_

Me: Oh, come on! They're cute together! *Turns to you* Right?

Mav: *Waving arms frantically* Anyway! Back to this! *Clears throat then strikes a pose* Will Barrel's suggestions _really _get taken in?

Me: *Strikes the same pose* Will it all plan out like Oogie hopes?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!

Mav: Seriously, guys, where's my bloody pay check?


	4. The 'Spare Limbs'

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 3

Before Barrel even knew it, weeks had passed since his pondering about their new team-mate and he was almost complete. They had his torso, his neck and head and one arm and one leg. Barrel watched as Lock placed the last two ribs in the boy's chest. The trio had stolen some fabric from Shadow's Tailors and Shock was currently making clothes for their creation. With the other stuff they'd stolen, they'd made their creation the hair Barrel was talking about. It wasn't at all what Barrel was expecting when he suggested it. It was spiky and stuck up at odd ends, coloured black with a white outline. Though, in a way, it suited him.

Oogie stood with his hands on his hips. "There. Almost complete! Jack won't know what hit 'im!" He let out a laugh, which was stopped when his eye sockets caught the sight of something. "Hey…Why has 'e only got one arm and leg?"

"Uh, well, Mr. Oogie, sir," Lock said, entwining his fingers together and tapping his thumbs against one another. "We kinda…ran out of parts…"

Oogie's eye sockets narrowed even more. "Would d'ya mean 'ran out of parts'?"

"Well…We don't have any more parts, which means he doesn't have a arm or leg…"

Oogie's eye socket twitched. "Well," He turned so his back faced his minions. "This is brilliant, huh?" He asked rhetorically, his voice unusually soft. "Our creation, the thing that'll take Jack down, doesn't have an arm or leg!" He suddenly turned to them, scowling. His tone became angry. "How're we supposed to take down Jack when our secret weapon _only has one arm and one leg?"_

The three huddled together, scared. Shock put up a hand. "I-I guess we could…find some more…limbs…?"

Oogie calmed himself. "Well, hop to it!"

The three nodded and ran toward the exit.

…

Travelling in their bathtub, Lock sighed. Barrel drove the tub and Shock leaned against the side. "Where're we supposed to get spare limbs?" Lock asked. "We already checked Dr. Finkelstein's place! An' all we found were these!" He gestured to the sack, which laid, slumped over, next to him. Inside were a variety of arms and legs, but all of them were too long or too short for their creation.

"C'mon," Shock said as she jumped out of the bathtub. "Let's check on foot."

Lock followed, then Barrel. They trudged around, hands either behind their backs or in their pockets.

As they walked, they kept their heads down. Suddenly, Shock let out a cry of surprise as the ground on which she stepped on caved in. Lock and Barrel turned. "Shock?" Lock called. "Where are you?"

"Down here!" Her voice echoed. The boys glanced down the ditch. Shock sat on some stairs, adjusting her hat. "Come look at this!"

The boys looked at each other and shrugged then jumped down. Shock was already heading towards the big, double doors. Her hands went to her hips as the boys joined her. "How do we open 'em?"

Barrel puffed out his little chest and marched up to the doors. He thrust his arms out, palms facing the doors, and exclaimed: "Open Sesame!"

"That's not gonna work, dummy-" Shock began to yell, but paused when they heard a loud creak and the doors opened. Lock and Shock turned to Barrel, wide-eyed.

"_Dude." _Lock said in disbelief.

Barrel stared at the open doors in shock. He didn't expect _that! _The three children walked into the golden room. A coffin sat in the middle of the room, on top of two steps. Several candles on candlesticks surrounded it. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the room. Lock, Shock and Barrel wandered into the room. "Woah…" Barrel muttered in awe.

"Hey! Wonder who's in the coffin!" Lock exclaimed, running over to it. Lock went on tip-toe to try and reach it, but found he couldn't. "Shock! Give me a boost!"

Shock crouched in front of the coffin and Lock climbed onto her back. He placed his feet onto her shoulders, holding onto the top of her hat. With all his strength, he pushed the coffin's lid away a little, enough to peek inside. Using all the strength in their legs, Shock and Barrel jumped up and latched onto the coffin's side.

Inside, laying on the padding, was a skeleton. Its hands were pressed to its chest. "Woah…" Lock whispered. "Wonder who it is…"

"It says here." Shock pointed out, noticing the name scratched into the surface of the lid. "M…Ma…It's all dirty and scratched, I can't read it!"

Barrel jumped down from the coffin, noticing the little box beside the coffin. He walked over to it and gently opened the lid. Inside, sat a pumpkin mask. It was small, but looked important. Carefully, Barrel lifted it out. He held it to his chest and turned-

Just as Shock climbed into the coffin.

"Shock! What're you doing?" Barrel asked.

"Hey, Oogie sent us to get limbs, so that's what we're doing!" Lock exclaimed. "Besides, he's dead! He don't need 'em!"

"Could be a girl!" Shock's voice called.

Lock rolled his eyes.

"Uh…G-G-Guys…?"

"What is it, Barrel?" Lock asked, keeping his eyes on Shock as she detached the arm and leg from the body.

"L-L-Look…"

Lock turned and his eyes immediately widened. "Uh…Shock?"

"What?" Shock poked her head out, the arm and leg in her arms. Her eyes widened.

A large, purple spider climbed down from its web, its abdomen big. Its many green eyes were narrowed as venom dripped from its fangs. It hissed at them.

"Uh…" Lock started.

"Um…" Shock muttered.

"Run!" Barrel screeched.

The spider hissed and scuttled toward them. Shock tumbled out of the coffin as Lock jumped down. Barrel held the pumpkin mask tightly as he ran towards the doors.

"Guys!"

Lock and Barrel turned back.

Shock cried out and reached for them as the spider pulled her towards it, a thick piece of web wrapped around her ankle. The boys looked at each other. "Help!" Shock screeched.

The boys panicked. What could they do? They couldn't let her die! Lock reached into his pocket and felt something. He picked it up and threw it at the large arachnid.

The spider stopped its pulling as the wrapped up toffee bounced off its abdomen. The web around Shock's ankle snapped and she scrambled up, the arm and leg clutched in her hands tightly. She ran over to the boys and shot passed them, up the stairs.

"Help me close the doors!" Lock ordered to Barrel. They grabbed hold of a different doorknob and pulled. The doors began to slowly move. The spider charged at them, hissed and clacking its fangs together. Eventually, the doors shut. They heard a loud _thud! _as the spider hit the doors, not expecting them to close. The boys panted and followed Shock up the stairs.

As they emerged from the ditch, Shock muttered "That was scary!"

"Yeah," Lock agreed. "C'mon, let's get back to Oogie."

…

"What were you thinking?" Oogie asked. "None of these are the right size!" He threw an arm down.

"There's a couple more you need to try, sir…" Shock muttered nervously. She held out the arm and leg they had nabbed from that skeleton in the coffin. Oogie snatched them from her and held them in front of the places they would usually attach on to. Holding them above the boy's joints, he could see they still weren't the right size.

"These aren't good either!" Oogie exclaimed.

"T-They're the closest things we could get, sir!" Lock said.

Oogie sighed. "Fine. We'll use these. Barrel, what're you holding?"

Barrel gulped and held out the mask. "I-I found this in the chamber…I thought we could give it to him…Like our masks…"

Oogie took it from him and examined it. He held it over the boy's face. "It's too small to fit his face!"

"Just put it over his eye socket then…" Lock shrugged. "Like an eye patch…"

Oogie placed the mask over the creation's eye socket. A ring of bright light developed around the mask. "That was weird…" Oogie muttered. He tried to pull the mask from the boy's face, but it wouldn't budge. "What the-?" He asked and tried again. "It's stuck!" He tried to pull it again. "Oh, well…Don't matter…" He muttered, giving up. He turned to them, a wicked smile upon his stitched lips. "We're almost done, kids." He picked up the arm. "We just need to attach his new limbs and we'll be done!"

The children grinned evilly at each other.

"And then, we'll bring him to life and train him to hate Jack! And then Skeleton Jack will be a pile of dust!"

The children looked to each other and walked around in a circle, waving their arms. "Pile of dust! Pile of dust! Skeleton Jack will be a pile of dust!" They chanted in unison.

Oogie let out an evil laugh.

…

Author's note:

Mav: THOSE LITTLE GITS! NICKING MY LIMBS LIKE THAT! I'LL KILL 'EM, THE LITTLE BRATS!

Me: *Holding him back* Calm down, Mav! It's part of the story! Roll with it!

Mav: *Calms down* Still! I wish the spider got 'em, the little buggers!

Me: Shush, now, Mav! At least we got to update quickly this time.

Mav: True that. So, what will become of Oogie's creation?

Me: Will it be useful?

Mav + Me: Find out next time!

Mav: *Turns to you* Do you guys, like, hate me, or something? You're all saying I ain't getting paid for this! It's because I don't star in this story, isn't it?


	5. His Name Is Icky

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 4

Oogie tapped his chin in thought. Their creation's new limbs had been attached and everything had gone smoothly. The boy now wore the clothes Shock had made for him- a white shirt with black trousers. The child's eye socket was still closed, the other covered by that dreaded mask. Oogie paid no mind to it. Why should he? What was it going to do? Jump out and bite them? Oogie glanced at their creation again. Where would he find electricity powerful enough to awaken their creation? Oogie looked around. It wasn't like he had some sort of battery that he could just stick into the kid's ribcage. Oogie glanced around the room. The idea light bulb in his head flickered on. Of course. Why had he not thought of it before? The casino lights! That should be enough. Oogie smirked.

…

"Ok," Oogie said, goggles over his eye sockets, holding the two wires in his gloved hands. Lock stood over by the switch. "Let 'em rip!"

Lock flicked the switch. The electricity travelled through the wire and up to the child's body. Oogie kept a tight grip on the cord. He began to shake as the electricity shocked him too. Lock shut off the switch. Oogie breathed out, a puff of black smoke wafting out of his mouth. Lock looked over at Shock and Barrel- who had held the long cord as well- and proceeded to laugh. Their hair had stuck up on ends, much like their creation's hair, and Barrel looked as though he had a frizzy afro.

Oogie coughed and spluttered and waved a hand, trying to get rid of the smoke. Through the smoke, he saw something. Their creation was sitting up.

"It's alive!" Oogie shouted in triumph. "_Alive!" _He let out an evil laugh.

"Someone's been reading Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein…" _Lock muttered.

Once the smoke cleared, they could all see their creation clearly. The small, Jack-look-alike was sitting up, staring at the metal panel he was on in curiosity. He blinked his one eye socket.

Oogie removed his goggles and gloves. Barrel and Shock had finished changing their hair back to normal and looked over, Lock doing the same. They glanced at each other before looking back at their creation.

The boy looked over at them and his eye socket filled with fright. He scrambled away from them.

"Oh, great!" Shock exclaimed. "We've created a scaredy-cat!"

The boy tilted his head, obviously curious about whatever the little witch was saying.

"Does he have a name?" Barrel asked, staring at the little skeleton.

"Course 'e does." Oogie replied. He smiled wickedly. "It's Icky."

"Icky?" The trio asked in unison.

"Yep." Oogie confirmed. "Icky."

The boy- Icky- looked at them all, questioning what they were talking about with a tilt of the head and raise of the 'eyebrow'.

…

The past couple of hours for young Icky had been…interesting, to say the least. The three little people and the big, sack-thing had taught him how to walk on his own two feet (despite being a bit wobbly, still) and the little one in purple had tried to teach him new…words, was it? She'd sat him down and had repeated words slowly, sounding out the…syllables? Just so that he would understand. He had not been able to pronounce any of them properly.

Shock let out an angry yell and threw her hat down. "Don't you know _anything?_"

Icky stared at her, looked at the floor then looked at her again. He pointed to himself. "Icky."

Shock let out another irritated yell. Icky picked up her hat, staring at it. He stuck his face into the part where her head would usually be. It was dark inside the hat, and Icky didn't like it. He removed his face from the hat and looked to her, then held it out. Shock snatched it from him and placed it on her head, then turned away; crossing her arms stubbornly. Icky tilted his head. Had he done something wrong? He looked over at the small boy with the skeleton costume, who was licking a orange and black striped lollipop. Icky gently climbed to his two feet, wobbling and stumbling over to the boy. He plunked down beside him. Barrel looked at Icky, and saw that the child was staring at the piece of candy in Barrel's hand.

Barrel glanced at the lollipop, then rolled his eyes and handed it to Icky. Icky took it from him, holding it in front of his face and sniffing at it. His tongue flicked out and licked it, copying Barrel. Enjoying the taste, Icky continued to lick it, then shoved it into his mouth. He looked at Barrel and smiled, the lollipop crammed inside his mouth. Barrel smiled back. Icky took hold of the stick and pulled the lollipop from his mouth and held it out for Barrel.

Barrel cringed. "No, thanks." Usually, Barrel would not turn down a piece of candy, but this piece had Icky's saliva all over it; the spit dripping off the candy. Icky saddened then reached out and took hold of Barrel's lower lip, pulling it down and shoving the candy into his mouth. Icky, seeing that he had successfully 'given the lollipop back', threw his hands up into the air and laughed. He tugged on Shock's sleeve.

"What?" Shock asked spitefully, though her anger when unnoticed by Icky.

Icky pointed to Barrel. "Barrel!"

"That's great…" Shock muttered.

"Can you say my name?" Lock asked the skeleton.

Icky looked at him, tilting his head and narrowing his eye socket in concentration before slowly shaking his head. "…No…"

Lock frowned. "Dummy-head…" He whispered.

Oogie placed his hands on his hips. "See? Learnin' to talk already!" He ruffled Icky's hair. "That's my boy!"

"No." Icky said and moved away from him, crawling to the other side of Barrel.

Oogie paused before taking a deep breath. "Oh, well. He'll learn in time." Without hesitation, Oogie placed his hands under Icky's armpits and lifted him up; holding him up in the air. "This little guy," He announced. "Will be the one to take down Jack Skellington!"

The trio cheered and danced around in circles.

Icky tilted his head. His words went unnoticed. "…Dack…Skeweton…"

…

Author's note:

Me: And Cob- excuse me, Icky has awakened!

Mav: *Lets out streamers* Awesome.

Me: I'm starting to think some of the teachers know that I write in my spare time and have decided to give me essays to keep me busy…Especially that one on Global Warming…

Mav: Well, it's a globe and it warms up! *Jazz hands. Grins*

Me: *Stares at him*…Right. So, will little Icky be ok?

Mav: What has Oogie planned?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!

Mav: MissBliss8527, reveur-amira, MysteriousMoonCo, thank you for the support in helping me get a pay check. And, ThePurpleSuperCow, *Puts on black sunglasses and points to you* Dead men have feelings too. 'Tis why I'm married.


	6. Lessons In Pranking

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 5

Jack Skellington.

That was what anyone ever talked about around Icky. What was a Jack Skellington anyway? Apparently, Icky looked just like him, but with hair. Did that mean Jack Skellington did not _have hair? _That was just plain odd. Of course, then again, Icky's 'dad' didn't have any hair. Did Jack Skellington have something else? Oogie had that long piece of burlap at the top of his head, so what did Jack Skellington have? Icky had never seen Jack Skellington before. Oogie described him as the 'enemy', whatever that meant. Did that mean that Jack Skellington was the baddie? That he was evil? What was a Pumpkin King anyway? Was it good? Was it Jack Skellington's villain name?

"C'mon, Icky," Lock called. "We're gonna show ya how to pull pranks."

Pranks? What on earth were pranks? Icky was going _pull pranks_? Were they some sort of rope? A mechanism, maybe?

The three little people were climbing into something. It was big, enough for all three to jump in, and had four legs.

"C'mon, Ick!" Lock called, agitated. "Get in the bathtub!"

Bathtub? What was that? Icky guessed it must be the thing they were in. Icky took hold of the edge of the bathtub, then flung his leg over and toppled into the bathtub; almost flattening Barrel. Almost immediately after landing in the bathtub, Icky was pushed into a large, black and orange bag. "In case someone sees ya." Lock said.

Barrel turned the taps on the bathtub, and the bathtub began to move; walking forward and out the large window of the tree house. It walked down the weird tree the house was perched upon and walked toward Halloween Town.

…

"This is called spray paint." Barrel explained, holding up the can for Icky to see. Icky's face was at the opening of the bag, staring out as his three little mentors explained things. Barrel shook the can and pressed down on the top. Red paint sprayed out, creating a massive blob on the wall. Icky stared at it and giggled.

"Magic!" The skeleton exclaimed.

"No. Spray paint." Barrel corrected.

"Magic!" Icky insisted.

Barrel sighed, then smiled. _And _he's _gonna take down Jack one day…_ Barrel looked up and immediately gasped, then pushed Icky back into the bag, fastening the string of the top to close it.

Icky was greeted by darkness. The space was cramped and he didn't like it. He tried moving, but a harsh kick from Barrel told him to stop. Someone had cleared their throat and Icky heard Lock and Shock gasp.

"Hi there, Jack!" Lock exclaimed, hiding the can of spray paint behind his back.

"Hello, Lock." Jack Skellington greeted in a stern tone.

Icky blinked. Was that the same Jack everyone was talking about? The bad one?

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack asked, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, Jack." Lock replied, somewhat nervously.

"Just hanging around." Shock added.

"Nothing suspicious going on here!" Barrel said, grinning nervously. Lock frowned and hit Barrel upside the head. Barrel cringed and placed both hands on his head, dropping the can; which rolled over to Jack's feet. Jack frowned and knelt down, picking up the can and reading the front.

Jack raised his head. "Spray paint?"

All three gulped.

Icky blinked several times. Why was everyone called the magic 'spray paint'?

Jack looked like he was about to say something, when he heard a small voice say: "Dack Skeweton…"

It must be the bad Jack that his mentors were talking to, it must be!

Jack's eye socket elongated, symbolizing a raised eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Uh…My stomach." Barrel said.

"Oh, really? Your stomach talks, does it?"

"On several occasions…"

Jack opened his mouth to talk again, but stopped when he saw the bag move.

Icky's neck was beginning to hurt, so he shifted into a different position to get comfortable.

Jack tilted his head. "What's in the bag?"

"Uh…Smaller bags?" Shock replied.

"Bags down _move._" Jack said. "I'm serious. What's in the bag?"

"Nothing, Jack, just…stuff!" Lock exclaimed.

"Oh? Stuff, is it? Then you won't mind me taking a look." Jack said, placing his hands on his hips.

Lock, Shock and Barrel glanced at each other in panic. What were they to do? If they stopped Jack, they would look suspicious. Jack stood up, then reached down and took hold of the string keeping the bag together. He began pulling slowly, as though he was trying to torment the three ghouls; who clenched and gritted their teeth.

"_Jack!_"

Jack stopped and let go of the string, looking over his shoulder at the short man with the megaphone.

"_Jack!" _The Mayor called again, his sad face displayed. "We've got to go over the plans for next Halloween! I'm only an elected official, I can't handle this by myself!"

If Jack had eyes, he would've rolled them. "Coming, Mayor!" He called back, a little agitated. He turned back to the three trick-or-treaters. "I'm going to keep this," He said, gesturing to the spray paint. "Away from you three. Lock, Shock," He held out his other hand.

Lock and Shock sighed and handed over their cans, which Jack practically snatched from them. "Thank you," The skeleton told them. "Tomorrow, I want you here with sponges and buckets of soapy water and I want you to clean these markings _off _of this house. Do you understand?"

All three nodded.

"Good." Jack turned and walked over to the Mayor, who immediately began to complain once the skeleton got there.

Lock frowned. "There goes our fun…"

…

"You got caught?" Oogie asked, his tone angry.

"It's Icky's fault!" Lock snapped back. "He shouldn't of started talking and moving!"

"I don't care whose fault it is! You got caught spray painting and you almost got Icky caught too! Do you have any idea what Jack would do if he saw a kid who looked just like him?"

"Uh…Give him a warm, loving home?" Barrel asked.

"What? No! He'd probably take him to Dr. Finkelstein to get experimented on! Do you want that to happen to our secret weapon? Huh? Do ya?"

All three muttered in unison, "No, sir…"

"Good. Now, bed, all o' ya!"

The three ghouls sighed and walked away.

Icky watched them go.

"That means you too, kid." Oogie informed him with a frown.

Icky, sensing how angry his creator was, ran after his mentors.

The room wasn't very big, but it was big enough to house the trick-or-treaters. Three, metal cots were attached to the walls; two on one side, the another on the opposite wall. Icky smiled at the lowest one and went over to climb on.

"Hey!" Shock snapped and took hold of his shirt, pulling him away. "That's _mine!_"

Icky watched as Lock climbed onto Shock's bed, then climbed onto the cot above it, flopping down onto his pillow. Barrel climbed onto the bed on the opposite wall. Shock pointed at the corner. "_That's _your bed!"

Icky looked over at the oval-shaped, plastic bed. It had padding on it and a tiny pillow and moth-eaten blanket that the three ghouls had obviously put there. Icky had seen that type of bed before. Yes…While they were in town…In the window of a big building with 'Pet's Shop' on the front. Shock pushed him towards it and then climbed on to her bed.

Icky glanced at her before walking over to the bed slowly. He knelt down and crawled the rest of the way there. Gently, he moved the blanket aside and rested on top of the padding; his skull on the pillow. He moved the piece of fabric over himself. Icky looked over at the three little people. Lock and Shock were already asleep, the small devil snoring loudly. Icky sighed through his nose. He looked over at Barrel, who looked away once he noticed Icky look at him. Icky hesitated, the words forming in his mind, before he said a small, "Thank you…"

Barrel rolled over so that his back faced Shock, so that Icky could not see his face. He knew Icky was thanking him for showing him 'pranks' and protecting him from Jack Skellington. "Whatever…"

Icky blinked in confusion before shrugging it off. He curled up in a ball (this dog's bed was far too cramped) and shut his eye socket. Eventually, the small, Jack-look-alike drifted off to sleep.

…

Author's note:

Me: After I finished writing the bit with Icky's thoughts on Jack, I picked up my Jack plush toy, held it in front of my face and said to it, "Isn't it weird how, in the future, your gonna be Icky/Cobweb's daddy?" and I knew that, if it could talk, it would've said, "Yeah, kinda".

Mav: Wow, my grandson is stupid. He was, like, two inches away from Icky! For God's sake, man, why didn't ya open the bag?

Me: *Pats his shoulder* S'ok, Mav. We all know they'll meet one day.

Mav: *Crosses his arms* Still…

Me: So, will little Icky survive with his mentors treating him like that?

Mav: Will Jack figure out what's going on?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!

Mav: MysteriousMoonCo, of course you can hug me! I'm a very huggable person! But, no kisses. I'm married. *Opens his arms out for you* Come 'ere, darlin'!


	7. Starts With An M And Ends With A K

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 6

Icky sat alone on the wooden floor. Lock, Shock and Barrel were not there. They were in town, scrubbing their magic drawings off of the walls. Jack Skellington had told them to yesterday. And now, Icky was alone. Oogie was down in his lair, muttering about things Icky decided not to listen to.

Why did Icky have to be alone? What had he done wrong?

Icky's head shot up. There was someone there, with him. He looked over his shoulder. No one. He looked over his other shoulder. Again, just empty space. But he could've sworn there was someone there. Maybe it was Jack Skellington, coming to hurt him. Would Jack Skellington do that? Purposely hurt a child? He didn't know. All he knew was that Jack Skellington's voice sounded like a matured version of Icky's. The presence was gone. Was it even a person? Or just a figment of Icky's imagination?

Icky tilted his head as an unfamiliar word came into his mind. Was it a name? Or just a word? What did it mean? Nevertheless, he attempted to say the word, "M…Ma…Maverick…"

…

"Wake up, Icky!"

Icky's eye socket opened slowly. The skeleton was curled up in his bed, the blanket over him. Barrel stood beside his bed. "Get up, Ick!"

Icky sat up. "Hm?"

"C'mon, we gotta show ya another prank! You're gonna love this one!"

Icky nodded.

The next thing Icky knew, he and the others were in the Pumpkin Patch. Lock and Shock giggled as they jumped on the small pumpkins, squashing them. Barrel and Icky sat on a log nearby. Barrel had his lollipop. Icky stared at it. Seeing this, Barrel sighed and handed it to him. Icky gasped happily and took it, shoving it into his mouth. Barrel rolled his eyes.

"Heads up!" Lock called.

Suddenly, a squishy pumpkin landed on Icky's lap. The skeleton was startled at first then leaned forward. He removed the lollipop from his mouth and placed it on Barrel's lap. Icky sniffed the pumpkin then picked up a piece.

"Oh, no! He's not gonna…!" Shock trailed off.

And Icky stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed on it, the sticky, orange goo getting stuck between his teeth a few times and then swallowed.

"Ew!" Shock exclaimed as Icky licked his fingers one by one.

Icky smiled at her. He looked at her, but something was different. Something was _wrong. _There were two of her, both blurry and hazy.

"What?" Shock asked spitefully, but her voice echoed.

Icky groaned and placed a hand to his forehead. It began to hurt, but why? Was it Oogie? Oh, this must be Jack Skellington's work! The presence was back…or was it? It felt like it was there…but it also wasn't…if that made sense.

"Icky?" Barrel asked. "You ok?"

Icky whimpered and fell back, his back hitting the ground harsh. He was drifting away and Barrel's voice was nothing but a faraway message.

Then everything went black…

…

_Icky walked through the doors. The corners of this chamber were covered with cobwebs. The room was lit with the candles which surrounded a coffin, which was perched upon two steps. Icky looked around. Where were Lock, Shock and Barrel? And Oogie?_

_Icky began to walk forward. Something was telling him to. He jumped and turned when he heard an eerie creak and a loud slam. The doors had closed themselves. Icky turned back. Something was telling him to go over to the coffin. He began walking again. Slowly, he walked up the steps. _

_The coffin was large, but Icky managed to reach by standing on his tip-toes. He pushed the lid aside and gasped._

_On soft padding was a skeleton. It was just laying there, doing nothing. Icky's arm and leg began to sting. _

_Icky suddenly felt sad. Who was this person? Someone he knew? Icky sighed and placed the lid on its rightful place. _

_Unbeknownst to the boy, eight eyes lit up in the darkness. _

_Icky placed his hand on the lid. What was carved there? M…Ma…Mav…Maverick. That was the word he'd learned earlier. The name was scratched, but Icky knew it said Maverick. Suddenly, a scuttling noise could be heard._

_Icky turned and immediately felt terrified. _

_A giant spider came down from its web. The arachnid was coloured purple and its abdomen was large. Its sharp fangs dripped venom._

_Icky gulped. Oh, dear…_

_The spider screeched and rushed towards Icky, its legs working hard to push the spider forward. Icky gasped and ran. He hurried towards the doors, hearing the creature turn and follow him. The arachnid shot out long, stringy pieces of web. It stuck to Icky's foot and dragged him back, making the boy fall to the floor. Icky tried to grab hold of something, but failed as his hands just slipped along the floor. _

"_Barrel!" Icky cried. "Help me!" Something told him to shout this. The new word. "Maverick!"_

_The spider's eight eyes widened, seemingly recognizing the word; but anger flared in its green eyes and pulled Icky quicker._

_Laughter filled Icky's mind as everything went black…_

…

Icky awakened with a jolt. Lock, Shock and Barrel stood over him, but Barrel was the only one who looked worried. Icky sat up. "Ow…" The boy groaned, rubbing his head.

"You ok?" Barrel asked. "The light on your mask went out! We thought you were dead!"

Icky nodded, but his head felt numb. "Owie…"

Barrel turned to his comrades. "We should take him back to Oogie."

Lock and Shock groaned. "Spoil the fun…" Lock muttered, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Sorry," Icky said to him, pronouncing the r's like w's.

Lock looked at him, surprised that he had responded, then looked away again. "Whatever…"

…

"What d'ya mean 'pumpkins are no good for him'?" Oogie asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Were they suggesting something was wrong with his creation? He was no Dr. Finkelstein, but he knew how to make a minion. He'd done so many times before. Sadly, Jack Skellington had seen to it that they were gone.

"He acted all weird." Barrel said.

"Maybe he's allergic." Lock added.

"Spider!" Icky exclaimed for the thousandth time since they got back.

"And he keeps saying spider." Shock continued.

"And that other word," Lock exclaimed. "What was it again…?"

As if on cue, Icky yelled, "Maverick!"

"That's it!" Barrel snapped his fingers.

Oogie shrugged. "So, he's learning new words! Big deal! It's not like they mean anything! And so what if he has an allergy? He can still take down Jack!"

"You sure?" Lock asked, looking over at Icky, who drew lines on the floor with his finger.

"Positive." Oogie strode over to Icky. "Our lil' Icky's gonna be the scariest thing in Halloween Town! Scarier then Jack!"

Lock and Shock grinned, and Barrel was the only one who looked doubtful.

…

Author's note:

Me: See, Mav? You have a part in this!

Mav: Not a very big part…

Me: They said your name, didn't they?

Mav: Still…

Me: Question Time! Who can guess what I was listening to while writing this? Here's your hint: Maverick had sung it before.

Mav: Oh, yeah, that narrows it down!

Me: Quiet, you! Or I'll give you an even littler part in this!

Mav: *Whimpers* But my fans…they love me…

Me: Anyway, will Oogie and his minions teach Icky some new threats and pranks?

Mav: Will Icky ever experience that terror in the chamber again?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!

Mav: You're welcome, MysteriousMoonCo! Glad people fangirl-squeal over me! And, MissBliss8527, I'm sure she can handle it. After all, she did manage to handle my flirtatious, and slightly perverted, attitude when we were teenagers, and she's put up with me for over a hundred years. *Sighs happily* I love that woman…


	8. A Leather Shoe That's Too Small

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 7

Shadow changed the sign on her door from CLOSED to OPEN. She smiled, turning to the mannequins, which were wearing the clothes she'd recently made. Shadow was about to get back to work, when she heard a voice.

"I know, Zero, I probably should get on with those plans. But it's such a lovely day outside, I thought we could go for a walk."

The voice made Shadow's heart skip a beat. Jack. She turned back to the window and saw Jack Skellington walking down the street, Zero at his heels. She bit her lip and felt her cheeks grow warm. She didn't deny how she felt about Jack. Ever since they were children, she felt…better in his presence.

Shadow turned away, walking back over to the counter.

"Oh, look, Zero! Shadow's shop is open!"

Shadow almost froze as the bell above the shop's door jingled and Jack Skellington walked in. "Shadow, hello!"

Shadow smiled and turned. "Hello, Jack. Are you here for some new clothes?"

"Nope. Just thought I'd say hi." Jack replied, grinning as he neared her. Zero zipped around Shadow's legs and the sorceress giggled and patted his head.

Jack's smile widened. He loved to hear her giggle. Such a sound was music to his nonexistent ears.

Shadow paused and looked to Jack, her smile falling from her face. "Jack…"

"Yes, Shadow? What is it?" Jack asked, beginning to worry.

"If you're not too busy, I'd, um, I'd like you to do me a favour…"

Jack smiled. "Of course, Shadow. Anything. You name it."

"Could you…go and check up on Oogie?"

Jack paused. His eye socket elongated in confusion. Check up on Oogie? What? Did she suddenly _like _Oogie? Could that be why? "What?"

"It's just that…he hasn't been showing up lately, and I'm worried that he's up to something." Shadow bit her lip. "If you can't, Jack, then I understand."

"Oh, no!" Jack exclaimed. He cleared his throat, trying to make up for the outburst, and smiled. "Of course I will, Shadow. If he's bothering you that much."

Shadow's face brightened and she grinned. "Oh, thank you, Jack. This feeling's been eating away at me for some time now."

"You're welcome, Shadow." Jack replied. He turned to his dog. "Come on, Zero. Let's go." The skeleton turned and left the shop, Zero trailing along after him.

Shadow waved to him, then placed her hands to her heart. "Please, Jack…I have a bad feeling about this…"

…

Jack stood outside the tree house, hands on his hips. He frowned up at the place. He'd gone there many times, just to fight Oogie. His ancestors had done the same thing. The Skellington family and the Boogie clan had fought for many years, without stopping. Jack huffed.

Meanwhile, Oogie sat on his couch, watching as Icky counted his fingers. The skeleton child always missed out seven. Oogie rolled his fictional eyes, then he heard it. The clanking as the cage made its way up to the tree house. "Oogie!"

Oogie's eye sockets widened. "Quick!" He called to Lock, Shock and Barrel. "Hide the kid!"

Lock and Shock grabbed Icky's arms and pulled him back, while Barrel opened a door. Lock and Shock tossed the skeleton child into the closet, slamming the door shut- just as Jack appeared, holding onto the rope with his foot on the cage. He placed his hands on his hips. "Oogie,"

"Jack!" Oogie exclaimed, like he was greeting an old friend. "How ya doin', Bone Man?"

"_Fine._" Jack replied. He looked around, his eye sockets narrowed. He scratched the top of his skull.

"Looking for something?" Oogie asked.

"Shadow told me you might be up to something," Jack said, rather distracted. "Just checking."

"Aw, she's a doll, ain't she?" Oogie chuckled.

Jack narrowed his eye sockets even more. "Quite." He turned and checked the bookshelf, wiping some dust off with his index finger and rubbing it between his finger and thumb. He turned around, wiping his hand on his thigh and spotted Lock and Shock protecting the door. "What's in there?"

"Nothing." Lock replied quickly.

Jack crossed his arms. "Oh, really? Like there was nothing in that bag you had the other day?"

"Uh-huh."

"Nice try. Let me see." Jack moved forward, but Shock blocked his path.

"Wait, Jack. Don't ya have any _other _kingly duties for today?" She asked, a little too curiously.

"This _is _my kingly duty for today." Jack said. "Now, move aside, you two."

Lock and Shock looked to Oogie, who waved a hand. Lock and Shock looked to each other and moved away from the door. Jack watched them, then stepped forward and took hold of the doorknob and twisted. Lock bit his lip, Shock held on to the hem of her dress tightly and Barrel squeezed his fists. Oogie just watched. If Jack were to see Icky, they could just bag him and knock him unconscious. Jack's eye sockets widened.

"We can explain, Jack!" Barrel blurted out.

"I should think so." Jack replied. "It's a _mess_ in here! Honestly, don't you clean up?"

Everyone paused- except the skeleton- and stared as Jack entered the closet. He looked around as everyone gathered at the entrance to the room. Checking every space he could, Jack looked around with his eye sockets peeled. Suddenly, he stopped. Was that…a foot? Behind the bookshelf, a leather-clad foot poked out. Jack approached it with caution. Oogie lip moved and, if he had proper lips and teeth, this would've meant he was biting his lip. Jack bent down and Oogie's eye sockets narrowed. He was about to tell the three trick-or-treaters to get the bag, when Jack turned around. "Why is there a shoe back here?" He asked, holding up the piece of leather footwear.

"I dunno." Oogie shrugged.

Jack's head snapped up and he jumped, turning to look behind him.

"What's up, Jack?" Lock asked.

Jack turned back to them. "Nothing…Could've sworn I felt someone tap my shoulder…"

"Well," Oogie said. "As ya can see, we ain't doin' nothing. So, you can be on your way, Jack, ol' buddy, ol' pal."

Jack turned to him, frowning. "We are not '_buddies' nor 'pals'." _He approached them. "If I find out any of you are up to _anything _that may harm Halloween Town or _any _of its citizens, I will be back here quicker then you can say 'Help'. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Oogie said.

"Good." Jack replied. He walked passed Oogie and took hold of the cage. It descended and Jack disappeared. The four ran over to the window and watched as Jack made his way back to town, hands on his hips.

"What a jerk," Oogie said and came away from the window.

Lock, Shock and Barrel opened their hands and pressed their thumbs to their temples; wriggling their fingers and blowing raspberries at the back of Jack's head. They followed their leader to the closet, just as Icky poked his head out from behind the bookshelf. "He took my shoe…" was the first thing Icky said, and he said it with grief.

"We'll get ya another." Oogie replied.

"Good thinking, Ick!" Barrel exclaimed.

Icky looked at him, his expression full of bewilderment. He tilted his head.

"C'mon," Oogie said. "Food's almost ready and we don't want Jack to ruin another evening."

Everyone followed him, except for Icky. Icky looked to the window and jogged over to it, watching Jack's retreating figure. "…Jack…Skellington…"

…

Jack sat in his study that night. After reporting his findings to Shadow, he'd gotten a thank you and a grateful hug; one of which he returned, blushing while doing so. He stared at the leather shoe he had placed on the desk in front of him; eye sockets narrowed in concentration. Zero nuzzled his master's arm. Jack sighed. "I know, Zero. I should be getting to bed. But…Zero, it's odd. This shoe…wouldn't fit Lock, Shock, Barrel _or _Oogie…"

…

Author's note:

Me: *Falls to knees* I'm so sorry for such a long wait! I've had a serious amount of writer's block, plus an obsession with Phineas and Ferb for quite awhile. So sorry! Now, Mav, will you- Wait, where's Mav?

Mav: *Walks in with a handkerchief and lip stick on his mouth* Alright, J, I'm here.

Me: *Stares*…Are you getting in touch with your feminine side?

Mav: What? Can't a man make kissy-face with 'is wife once in awhile? *Wipes at his mouth with the handkerchief*

Me: Oh, good. Just about to say that that colour clashes with your skin tone.

Mav: *Chuckles* Montarg would kill me if he saw me wearing make-up. And Ellie would kill me for using hers…

Me:…Right. So, Jack had another close encounter with Icky,

Mav: Will they ever meet?

Me: Will Oogie's plan ever come into action?

Me + Mav: Find out next time!

Me: **By the way, guys. In case anyone doesn't know, I'm doing a countdown toward Christmas and the New Year with little drabbles about the Cobwebs Series. Go check it out!**

Mav: Yes, MissBliss8527, I do have 'some girl'. After all, she's given me two lovely kids and stops me from knockin' Jack's teeth out when he nicks my newspaper. Which reminds me…*Walks off* Oi, Jack! Gimme back my newspaper!


	9. Grab Ahold, Jack

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 8

He wasn't going to touch that. It looked disgusting, yet Oogie and the others had eaten it; dropping it down their throats. They thought it was delicious. Icky just…no, he wasn't going to try that. That…snake and spider stew. His mind was elsewhere. He couldn't remember how it'd been since Jack Skellington had come over to their tree house and accused them of planning something. Well, technically, they were. But Jack didn't need to know that.

Icky had watched Jack Skellington leave. He had sat by the window, even long after Jack left. Something inside his head was nagging him to go after Mr. Skellington. But Oogie would be mad.

Icky looked over at his 'family'. The kids were going off to bed. Barrel glanced over his shoulder. "C'mon, Icky!"

Icky stood and followed the three into the room, glad that they had gotten him another shoe.

The three trick-or-treaters nestled into the beds and Icky crawled into his dog bed. He pulled his thin blanket up to his chin. Icky rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Something was eating away at him.

He wanted to go and see Jack Skellington.

Maybe he could convince Jack to stop fighting Oogie. Then there wouldn't be all of this violence. Icky glanced at the others. All of them were fast asleep. They'd never see him.

Icky moved the blanket away. In a burst of thought, he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders; creating a cloak for himself. He got up and tip-toed over to the door, wary of waking the others up. Taking another look over his shoulder, Icky opened the door and left.

…

The cage ride was annoying and loud. The cage was small and it made Icky feel claustrophobic. He was so glad to get out of it. Icky walked toward town. Oogie was asleep on the couch and Icky had found it easy to sneak passed him. Icky walked quickly, checking for any rocks that he were to trip over. If Oogie were to awaken, he would surely know of Icky's disappearance. Then he'd probably figure out where Icky was.

Icky finally made it to town and gasped at his surroundings. Before, he'd been tied up in a sack; therefore unable to see the town. The place wasn't very busy.. Vampires and witches were at their shops, closing up for the night. Icky watched them pull the shutters over their windows. Icky ducked behind a cart. If someone were to see him, they'd surely see the resemblance between him and Jack. He came here to see Jack, not cause a scene.

Icky ducked between carts and into alleys, dodging anyone who walked passed. He looked out from his hiding place behind an abandoned crate. Which house was Jack Skellington's? There must be one of these buildings that belonged to the king!

Icky paused when he heard a noise. A bark. He looked out.

A ghost dog was floating down the street, toward one of the largest houses Icky had ever seen. A man, who Icky recognized as the mayor, waved to him. "Make sure you take that to Jack, Zero!"

_Jack._

Icky crept after it. There was no guarantee that the Jack it was going after was the same one Icky was searching for. Still, it was a good place to start. The skeleton boy ducked into alleys, following the ghost dog. The dog slipped into a little flap in the door to the house. Icky looked around.

No one was watching. Perfect.

Icky scrambled up the steps to the house. He got down on all fours and gently pushed the flap, peeking in. He was a wooden floor on the other side, and a staircase leading to the next level of the house. Further away was the entrance to the living room. Icky tried to push himself through the little flap, but it was too small. He huffed. How would he get to Jack Skellington if the door would not open? He looked up and paused.

A spider hung on a chain beside the door. If Icky remembered correctly, Barrel called this a 'doorbell'. It was supposed to get the attention of whoever was in the house.

Perfect.

Icky reached up and grasped it, then tugged it down. A shrill shriek sounded inside the house. Icky jumped.

…

Jack scratched at his head. These new plans the Mayor had given to Zero to deliver was almost right. But there was something wrong. Something he just couldn't put his finger on…

The shriek of his doorbell snapped him out of his thoughts. Jack turned and made his way out of his study, down the stairs. "Coming!" He called. "Hold on!" He grasped the doorknob, and heard a whimper on the other side of the door. There were footsteps. Jack pressed his 'ear' to the side of the door and listened. Deciding he could not wait any longer, he pulled open the door.

No one stood there. The cold, autumn wind blew into Jack's house. Jack looked around. "Hello?" He asked, but no one replied. Jack shrugged and shut the door. Perhaps he had imagined it…

…

Lock, Shock and Barrel threw Icky on to the floor, in front of Oogie. Icky looked up at him in fright. "So," Oogie began. "We have a _traitor, huh?"_

Icky gulped.

"You know somethin', Icky?" Oogie asked, thought even Icky knew the question was rhetorical. "We have something that'd like to meet ya."

"…R-Really…?" Icky asked. Oogie grabbed him by his cloak and hoisted him up, carrying him over to the panel that he had laid on before his awakening. Oogie forced him to lay down, then walked over to a lever on the other side of the room. "I gave ya life, traitor," Oogie said. "So I can also take it away."

Icky's jaw dropped and, before he could move away, Oogie pulled the lever. Lightning bolts made their way up the panel, toward Icky's body. Icky flailed and writhed as the bolts attacked him, and he became weaker and weaker. His world was turning black. Just as his eye socket began to shut, he could've sworn he heard someone say:

"I'm sorry, kid…"

…

Jack scowled at Oogie. He grabbed hold of the piece of string that hung down and gave it a sharp tug. "How _dare _you treat _my friend _so _SHAMEFULLY!_"

Oogie whimpered in fear as his burlap was caught. It was torn from his body, exposing the many bugs; which still squirmed, even though the burlap was gone. "Now, look what you've done!" The bugs lost their strength to keep Oogie's body whole, and they began to fall into the lava. "My _bugs! My bugs! My bugs!"_ He called helplessly, his voice becoming a higher pitch each time.

Jack watched triumphantly and Shadow's jaw dropped at the mass of bugs.

One green bug tried to get away, still squeaking "My bugs!", when Santa's foot came down and squashed it.

Jack made his way over to Santa, handing him his hat. "Forgive me, Mister Claws. Afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday…"

"Bumpy sleigh ride, Jack?" Santa snapped, snatching his hat back. "The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her," He gestured to Shadow, who shrank back from the angry gesture. "She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum!" Santa shuffled away from them angrily, muttering "Skeletons…" under his breath.

Jack placed his hands to his heart as his eye sockets drooped. Trying to fix the situation, he called, "I hope there's still time!"

Santa turned back to him. "To fix Christmas? Of course there is! I'm _Santa Claus." _Santa pressed his nose, and gold sparkles developed around his feet. Santa Claus flew off, out of Oogie's lair.

Shadow came from her hiding place, walking over to Jack slowly. "Don't worry, Jack. He'll fix things…He knows what to do…"

Jack turned to her. "How did you get down here, Shadow?"

"Well, I…I was…I just wanted to…to…" The words were lost in Shadow's mind as she wrung her hands behind her back nervously.

"To…help me?" Jack finished for her, placing a hand to his chest.

"Well, I couldn't just let you…" Shadow trailed off, turning from him as a blush crept across her features.

"Shadow," Jack began, gently grasping her hand. "I can't believe I never realized…how worried you were about me."

"Well, Jack…I just-" Shadow began to confess, when a bright light shone upon them. They both looked towards it, where the Mayor and the trick-or-treating trio were.

"Jack!" The Mayor called. "Jack!"

"Here he is," Barrel said.

"Alive!" Lock added.

"Just like we said!" Shock concluded.

"Grab a hold, my boy!" The Mayor tossed down a rope.

Jack led Shadow over to it, still holding her hand. He grabbed hold of the rope, then looked at Shadow to see if she was ok. Shadow smiled back, just as the Mayor tugged on the rope.

…

T'was a good thing Jack Skellington did not look in the same closet as he did awhile back. For he would've seen the still, lifeless body of Icky. It sat against the wall, legs spread out, head lowered and arms at its sides. The light in its mask was out.

And a lost soul was its only company.

…

Author's note:

Mav: Man, Cob's life was almost as bad as mine!

Me: Shut it, Mav. People will read about your life in 'From Little Flame to Raging Fire', so shut up about it.

Mav: Hmph…*Crosses arms and turns away*

Me: Cookie to anyone who can guess who said 'I'm sorry, kid'. It's easy. Plus, we got to see what happened to Icky during Nightmare. So, Icky's 'dead'.

Mav: Jack's still an idiot- I mean, hero!

Me: And Oogie's dead!

Mav: What'll happen next?

Mav + Me: Find out next time…

Mav: *Gasps* MysteriousMoonCo is right! *Runs over to Jack and hugs him* Jack! I love ya, man! You can read my- I mean, _your _newspaper for as long as you want!

Jack: Uh…thanks…Are, by any chance, Monochrome pretending to be Maverick again?

Mav: No! I just love you, man! *Thinking: _Sandy will put me on the Nice List for sure!_*


	10. Bye, Bye, Skeleton Boy

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 9

Barrel didn't know how long it had been since they deactivated Icky. A couple of years, he thought. He would occasionally go into the closet and see Icky's body, still slumped over. He didn't know why he would do that. It was a habit, he supposed, to go and see Icky. He would talk to the body sometimes, tell him how stupid Lock and Shock were being. It would calm him, knowing that he had some sort of friend to talk to. He was sure he was the only one who regretted deactivating Icky.

And he hated that fact.

He hated that Lock and Shock didn't care about Icky. They were only doing the job Oogie wanted them to do. They didn't care about Icky anymore then they cared about Jack Skellington.

Barrel sighed. It was nice when Icky was around. Icky had the tendency to follow him around and eat the same candy as him. He liked that. He was Icky's role model, he supposed.

That was it, Barrel decided. It was time to bring Icky back.

…

"You wanna do what?" Oogie asked Barrel, his arms crossed.

"I want to bring Icky back." Barrel repeated.

"An' why would d'ya wanna do that? He's a traitor! He was gonna tell Jack about our plan!"

Barrel was tempted to tell Oogie that he, Lock and Shock were the ones who brought Oogie back to life so this was the least he could do for them. But he didn't want to get scolded for yelling at him or speaking out of terms. "But, Mr. Oogie, sir, maybe he's changed!"

Oogie rubbed his chin (if he had a chin). "An' what if 'e hasn't?"

Barrel gulped and ignored Lock and Shock's panicky stares. He knew he was going to regret this later. "Then…we can get rid of him."

Oogie thought about this. Barrel was truly serious and something in the boy's expression and tone told Oogie that, regardless of what the sack said, Barrel would reactivate Icky anyway. Oogie ran a hand through his 'hair'. He must be going soft. "Fine. Whatever. We'll bring the kid back." Oogie muttered.

Lock and Shock's jaws dropped.

…

Before anyone knew it, Shock and Barrel's hair was frizzy again and Icky was sitting up. He stared at himself in surprise. How on earth was he alive again? "Alright, Ick," Oogie said, hands on his hips. "We're gonna give ya another chance. Anymore slip ups from ya, an' you're outta here. Understand?"

Icky ignored him, looking at himself thoughtfully. He could feel that same presence in the room again and it was standing beside him. Whatever it was.

"Nice to see you again, Icky." Barrel said, flattening his hair and jogging over to Icky. Icky looked at him, then looked away.

"No…" Icky muttered.

"No?" Barrel asked.

Icky climbed down from the panel. "No." Icky repeated, more forcefully this time. He walked away from them.

Oogie scowled and Barrel quickly said, "I'm sure he just needs sometime to get comfortable again! Really, Mr. Oogie!"

Oogie looked at him, then shook his head. "He better." He snarled.

…

Icky sat in the corner, knees pulled to his chest and head resting on them. He didn't want to be here anymore. He could see it now. He'd figured it out.

Jack Skellington was the _good guy._

Oogie Boogie was the _bad guy._

Lock, Shock and Barrel were the _minions._

And Icky was too.

His so-called 'father' was the villain here. He must be. That was why Jack was ruling over Halloween Town. Before, Icky had believed that Halloween Town was the evil army, and that Oogie and the kids were part of some sort of resistance. But Jack was the hero here.

Icky didn't want to fight Jack Skellington. Jack seemed so nice, even when he'd come to their tree house to see if they were up to anything. Oogie had 'deactivated' Icky, which, Icky supposed, just meant he killed him.

What would Jack have done in that situation? Would he have deactivated Icky too? Or would he have just scolded him?

"You better eat that."

Icky didn't look up. He refused to eat snake and spider stew, no matter how delicious Barrel had said it was. "Oogie won't make you anymore, so eat it while you can." Barrel added.

Icky looked away. "Get me out of here…"

"What?"

"I hate it here. Get me out of here. Please…Let me go…" Icky pleaded, and Barrel could barely see the tears in his eye socket.

Barrel's eyebrows raised. Oogie entered the room with Lock and Shock, a pot in one hand. "Hey, Ick, here's some leftover stew."

"I don't want it." Icky said.

Oogie scowled. "What?"

Icky didn't know where all this courage was coming from, but he suddenly felt powerful and destructive like…

Fire.

"I said I don't want it!" Icky snapped, then swatted the bowl of stew away from him. The stew sloshed around before pouring out onto the floor as the bowl toppled over.

The ends of Oogie's arms curled, resembling tight fists, and he dropped the pot of leftover stew. He let out an angry roar. "That's _it!_"

"Hang on, Mr. Oogie!" Surprisingly, it was Lock who said this.

"Give 'im another chance, Mr. Oogie!" Barrel added.

Shock stayed silent, staring at Oogie. Oogie didn't look at the boys as he spoke. "No. This little brat wants to get out of here, then he's getting out of here. Ungrateful little…" He trailed off. He walked forward and grabbed Icky by the back of his shirt. He thrust the flailing child toward Lock, Shock and Barrel. "Get rid of him. _Now._"

…

Icky continued to flail, even when he was tied up in the large sack. He kicked and punched, trying to break the bag. He didn't know where they were, all he knew was that they were in the bathtub. Icky didn't know where all this anger and courage had come from. Somewhere deep inside of him, he supposed. He was tempted to call for Jack Skellington, but he knew he was in enough trouble.

"This looks like a good spot." He heard Lock say. The bathtub came to a halt and the bag opened. "See ya later, Ick!" Lock exclaimed, though it was mockingly.

"Bye, bye, now!" Shock added, in the same tone.

Barrel stayed silent.

Lock and Shock grabbed Icky's arms and tossed. Icky yelled out as he was thrown from the tub. Lock and Shock cackled and the bathtub turned and galloped away. Icky continued to fall from the hill. When he stopped falling, he didn't land on his back, or his feet.

A sharp stinging sensation developed on the back of his head as he fell on the tombstone. It felt like air was running through his mind and his brain felt fuzzy. Who was he again? I…He didn't remember the rest. Why was he falling again? Where was he? His eye socket felt so heavy as he plummeted to the ground, and the skeleton child black out.

…

Author's note:

Me: *Gasps* Poor Icky!

Mav: Kinda 'ad it comin', though.

Me: Shut it, Mav! You're supposed to be on his side!

Mav: I am! Jus' that the kid answered back. Back in my day, Montarg would've just yelled at me if I answered back. He woulda done worse if Marcus weren't there t' stop 'im.

Me: Nice. So, what'll become of Icky n-

Mav: Oh, c'mon, J! Everyone pretty much knows what's gonna 'appen now!

Me: Shut up and let me create suspense! Or I won't write you in any of the stories!

Mav: *Gasps* No!

Me: That's what I thought. Now, what'll become of Icky now?

Mav: *Sniffs sadly* And what about Jack…?

Mav + Me: Find out next time!

Me: Stop sounding so depressed, Maverick!

Mav: *Sniffs* H-Happy Holidays, e-everyone…


	11. Jack Skellington

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 10

The skeleton boy didn't know how long he'd been out there, wherever 'there' was. It was dark and spooky. He couldn't remember anything. He didn't remember his name. Where were his parents? He couldn't remember that either. He looked down at his skeletal hands. Were they supposed to be skeletal? Or was he just odd? He didn't know. The skeleton boy couldn't remember.

…

Jack Skellington paced in his study. He should've been getting ready for Halloween, but he couldn't focus. Why? He didn't know. He just felt that something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong, but it was so hard to put his bony finger on the problem. Zero raised his head from he lay in his dog basket, staring at his master and best friend with curiosity and worry. The last time Jack had pondered this hard, he had been trying to figure out what Christmas was. Zero tilted his head.

Jack rubbed his chin. What was wrong? He didn't understand it. Jack sighed and shook his head. It could wait until later he supposed.

"_Jack!_"

Jack opened his window and leaned over, looking out. The Mayor stood there, megaphone in front of his mouth. "_Jack! We need to rehearse for today! Please, Jack, I'm only an elected official! I can't handle things by myself!"_

Jack sighed, though this was not audible to anyone but Zero and himself. "I'll be right there, Mayor." He called back. He shut his window as the Mayor waddled off. Jack sighed through his nose and moved back over to the steps. He patted his thigh. "Come on, Zero." He said and Zero floated over to him. Jack patted his head and descended the stairs, Zero at his heels.

…

The skeleton boy's head hurt. He didn't know why, but it hurt. Perhaps he hit it somewhere on his travels. He hadn't a clue. Everything was so new. He didn't know why there were so many rocks everywhere, but there were. They all had different names too. "Hello, Jeff." The skeleton boy said to one stone.

The sun, which, he noticed, was shaped like a jack-o-lantern, had gone down awhile ago. His legs felt weak. His head snapped up when he heard it.

_This is Halloween,_

_This is Halloween,_

The skeleton boy jolted to a stop. Those voices seemed like they were everywhere. Ghosts flew over his head, though they didn't seem to notice him. The skeleton boy didn't move.

_Pumpkin scream in the dead of night!_

_This is Halloween,_

_Everybody make a scene,_

The skeleton boy ran. His legs were weak and his steps were wobbly, but he ran anyway. The voices were creeping him out. He kept on running. He didn't even know where he was going, but he knew he was getting away from the voices; that was all he _needed_ to know.

The skeleton boy tripped on a stone and fell to the ground, his jaw smacking onto the hard soil. His chin throbbed and tears filled his eye socket. Unable to contain them, he allowed them to slip down his face and drip from his chin. He sat against a tombstone and buried his face in his knees; wrapping his arms around himself. He looked up, wondering if they'd stopped.

Somewhere in the distance, a scarecrow set himself on fire and danced; which only frightened the skeleton boy more.

He didn't know how long he'd sat there sobbing, for the next thing he knew, an angry yell echoed throughout the area. A whimper sounded.

"I'm sorry, Zero." He heard someone say.

The skeleton boy didn't know who that voice belonged to. All he knew was that the yell they had let out scared him and he let out a whimper; one louder then 'Zero's'.

"Hello?" He heard and froze. "Are you alright?" He heard footsteps coming his way.

The skeleton boy hugged himself tighter. The person- who, he identified, was male- stopped walking. "That's strange, I could've sworn I heard something…"

The skeleton boy still held his breath.

"Zero? What's wrong, boy?"

Something was pressed to the boy's arm and took several sniffs at his humerus, before barking could be heard. It was loud, so whatever had sniffed his arm had made the noise. The footsteps could be heard again.

The skeleton boy continued to sob into his knees. He didn't know who or what this new presence was, but he didn't want to find out either. The leaves crunched.

"Hello," said a soft voice.

The skeleton boy looked up. The face in front of him was that of a skeleton's, the eye sockets large and curious. His mouth was a wide, black line across his skull and his 'lips' looked like they were stitched together. His suit was made of black material, white pinstripes making the suit look expensive and important. A bat-shaped bow tie sat at the man's neck, and it stretched out passed his shoulders.

The skeleton boy scrambled back. "Help!"

The skeleton man held out a hand and paused, staring at him thoughtfully, before speaking again. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy brought up a hand and wiped his eye socket. "…R-Really?"

The man nodded. "You're not from around here, are you?"

The boy shook his head.

"Where're you from?"

The boy shrugged.

"Where're your parents?"

"D…Don't know…" The boy observed as the man's face saddened.

"How did you get here?" The man asked.

The boy gave another shrug of his shoulders. "Heard singing and chanting…Ran."

The man sighed and looked down to the floor, before looking back to him. "What's your name?"

"Don't know…Can't remember…" He shook and clutched his head as more tears poured out.

The man's companion rubbed their nose against the boy's arm. The boy looked up at it. It was a ghost, he noticed, with long, ribbon-like ears; deep, black eye sockets for eyes and a long snout, which ended in a jack-o-lantern nose.

"This is my dog, Zero." The man informed him.

Hesitantly, the boy held out a hand and patted the dog on the head. Zero licked his hand, making the boy laugh. The man smiled at them. The boy turned back to him. "What's your name, Mister?"

"My name is Jack Skellington." He gestured to himself. "I'm the Pumpkin King."

"Oh…They were singing…about you…" the boy realised.

"Yes, they were."

"But you're not a scarecrow! You're a skeleton."

"That was just a costume."

The boy nodded. He placed his chin on his knees. "I wanna go home…"

"I'm afraid neither of us know where that is." Jack said.

"I'm scared…" The boy admitted. He began to shiver in the Autumn wind.

"Why don't you come back with me?" Jack asked.

"No…I'm not going back to that scary place…" The boy said, recoiling a little.

"I'm afraid it's the only safe place you _could _go."

The boy pondered this for a second. "O-Ok…"

Jack held out his hand, which the child took and was pulled to his feet.

The Pumpkin King held the boy's hand while they exited the graveyard and made their way towards Jack's house, Zero at his master's heels.

…

While walking to Jack's house, the skeleton's kept ducking into alleys and behind carts; concealing themselves from view. Jack seemed to be avoiding something, the boy noticed. When he heard several female voices calling Jack's name, he understood why Jack was hiding. The boy peeked out at the women looking for Jack. They were a group consisting of witches and other scary monsters the boy would rather not associate with.

Finally, they made it to Jack's home, where Jack allowed them to enter; pushing the door shut behind them. The boy looked around. This house seemed scarier then the town. Down the hall was a door leading to the living room, and a flight of stairs sat against the wall; leading to the next floor of this misshapen home.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked.

"Fine, Mr Skellington." The boy said, looking up at Jack.

Jack chuckled. "Please, no formalities, just Jack."

The boy nodded and smiled. "Alright then, Jack."

As the skeletons walked towards the living room, Jack said, "I'll give you a tour of Halloween Town tomorrow then we'll buy you some new clothes."

The boy looked at his current outfit. It didn't seem fit to wear, but it was all he had. He scrambled onto the couch.

"I'm afraid I don't have any pyjamas you could wear," Jack said. "But I do have some blankets." With that said, Jack turned and rummaged through a chest of draws.

Zero floated over to the child and sniffed his face. The boy giggled.

Jack turned to him, holding two moth-eaten blankets. "Here we go!"

The boy laid down on the couch, his head on one of the cushions as Jack placed the blankets over him. His shivers subsided and he curled up into a ball. The boy yawned. He fell asleep quickly.

"Good night, my boy." Jack whispered before turning out the light and heading towards his own room.

The boy smiled in his sleep. He liked Jack Skellington, he decided. He was nice.

…

Author's note:

Me: Jack! *hugs Jack*

Mav: Oh, great! _He's _got a bigger part then I do!

Me: Oh, shut it. So, what will become of the little skeleton boy in his new home?

Mav: Will his new life with Jack be alright?

Me: What's his future like?

Mav + Me: Find out next time!


	12. It All Started On Halloween

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Chapter 11

Jack approached his friend carefully, seeing her working away at her sewing machines. "Hello, Shadow."

Shadow looked up from her work and smiled at the Pumpkin King. "Hello, Jack. Where's Cobweb?"

Jack smiled in return. "Off with Maverick, I'd expect."

Shadow opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by someone's cry of: "_PAPA!_"

Jack turned, his eye sockets wide as Cobweb Skellington, his adoptive son, ran over to him. The little skeleton's grey suit (the one with the black pinstripes) was covered in soil. He hugged his father's leg. "Papa, scary noises, Papa!"

Jack stared down at him. He looked to Shadow, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Go on. We'll catch up later." She said.

Jack smiled at her, then crouched down and lifted his son into his arms. "Scary noises, son? Where?"

Cobweb looked over his shoulder and pointed at a nearby bush. Jack held Cobweb in one arm and made his way over to the foliage. He approached it with caution, then reached out to push a few leaves and branches aside.

"Hello, Jack." Maverick's head popped out of the bush as Jack's hand retracted. The skeletal ghost's glowing, blue ovals (which symbolized his eyes) looked up at Jack.

Jack placed a hand on his hip. "Maverick, are you trying to scare Cobweb?"

"Nonsense." Maverick replied. "It's not me who's makin' those noises."

The little whimpers and growls were heard and Cobweb buried his face into his father's shoulder in fear. "Take a look for yourself, Jack." Maverick added, gesturing beside him with a wave of his hand.

Jack gently pushed the branches aside and smiled. "See?" Maverick said. "Jus' a couple of baby foxes, playin' about."

Said foxes were grey and white and fighting over a bone, which still had a little piece of meat stuck to it. Jack chuckled at the sight. "See, Cobweb? Nothing to be scared of."

Nevertheless, Cobweb clutched on to his father, trying to make himself as small as possible. Jack let the branches go and turned to leave, and Maverick- clad in his usual pirate-styled outfit- climbed out of the bush to join him.

Jack made his way over to a cart, which was occupied by a flat hat and apron clad zombie. Jack looked to Cobweb. "What flavour would you like, son?"

Cobweb looked over the flavours. "Spider-berry swirl." He said, then added. "Please."

Jack smiled. "Good boy." He praised, then turned to the man at the cart. "One spider-berry swirl, please, my good man."

The zombie smiled, then took an ice-cream scoop from a pot and opened up a flap on his cart. His arm disappeared into the opening, then brought out the ice-cream scoop again. This time, a pile of ice-cream- coloured a dark blue with black spirals- occupied the tool. He took a cone from a rack and dropped the dollop of ice cream into it, then handed it to Jack, who placed it into Cobweb's hand. "Thank you." Cobweb said, his thanks directed at both his father and the ice-cream man.

Jack reached into his pocket, bringing out his leather wallet. He paused and turned to Maverick. "I'm sorry, Maverick. Did you want one?"

Maverick said nothing, just narrowed his blue eyes at Jack. Jack stared at him for a couple of moments before grinning nervously, embarrassed. "Oh, yes, of course…" He muttered and glanced at Maverick as he reached into his wallet, bringing out some coins and dropping them onto the cart. "Keep the change." He said, lifting a hand as the zombie tried to give him his change.

"Thank you, Jack." The man smiled.

Jack smiled in return, then turned and walked away, Maverick trailing behind him. Cobweb licked his ice-cream, then paused and held it to Jack's face. Jack glanced at him, then licked the scoop. "Mm. Yum." He said and Cobweb smiled.

Cobweb stared at his ice-cream for a second, before looking at Jack. "Papa,"

"Hm?"

"When is Shadow gonna be my mama?"

Jack paused, his eye sockets widening and his smile disappearing. His mouth was practically a dot on his face now. "W-What?"

"Well, that's what Maverick said."

Jack looked over his shoulder, frowning at the ghost; who gave him a thumbs up. Jack knew that, if Maverick had a proper face, he'd be grinning cheekily. Jack turned back to Cobweb. "Well, you don't listen to Maverick. He's a bit nutty."

"Oi!" Maverick exclaimed, but Jack just smirked.

Cobweb looked to both of them. Jack and Maverick fought a lot. When they weren't fighting, Maverick was ignoring Jack while Jack tried to make conversation. Maverick wasn't entirely used to them yet. However, despite their differences, Cobweb knew Jack and Maverick liked each other, really. Maverick was just lonely without his wife and son about, he supposed.

…

Cobweb scrambled into bed and, when he got comfortable, Jack draped the blanket over him. Cobweb looked up at his father. "Do I really have to go to bed?"

Jack smiled. "Of course. Your tenth birthday's coming up. You want to be nice and rested for that, don't you?"

Cobweb smiled widely. Of course. How could he forget that his tenth birthday- aka, Halloween- was only a few days away? Cobweb felt glad that he aged with every Halloween that went by.

Jack tucked his son in, then moved aside some of his fringe and kissed his forehead gently. Cobweb smiled. "Goodnight, Papa."

"Goodnight, son." Jack replied. He got up to leave.

"I love you, Papa."

Jack looked over his shoulder and smiled lovingly. "I love you too, son. Pleasant nightmares, now."

Cobweb smiled, recognizing the Halloween lingo. "You too, Papa."

Jack turned and Cobweb nestled down. Jack paused and looked at him, then looked to Maverick. "Watch over him?"

Maverick had been staring at the floor. He sat against the wall, one leg bent with his right hand resting on his knee. He glanced at Jack, then looked away. Jack's smile disappeared, but he took this as Maverick's answer. Jack glanced at the ghost one last time before opening the door, flicking off the light and leaving his son's room.

…

Jack gazed out his window in his study, back straight. His hands were hidden behind his back.

His life had done a one-eighty when he found Cobweb- a lonely, little boy- in the graveyard. He'd met a young, pumpkin-headed scarecrow, fought Oogie Boogie (once again), survived an explosion, ran into a burning casino and met a strange, hundred-year-old sorcerer.

And, most of all, he'd obtained a son.

It was strange, Jack realized, and new being a parent. Cooking for someone other then himself, helping Cobweb when he didn't understand something and just being a guardian. Of course, he wasn't alone. Maverick was there to help him. Whether he wanted to or not, Jack didn't know. But at least he had experience. Maverick was an old grump most of the time, but there were those moments when he acted as though he actually _had _a personality.

Jack sighed through his nose. Oh, well. He'd have to take small steps with this new family of his.

Jack smiled. "To think…This story all started on Halloween…"

…

Author's note:

Mav: What the-? Why am I so damn serious in this? 'but there were those moments when he acted as though he actually _had _a personality.' What's _that?_

Me: Shut it, Mav. That's how you were back then. You got more cheerful in Cobwebs Tend to Make Friends on Halloween, so just wait.

Mav: *Huffs and crosses arms* Fine…

Me: So, this story's pretty much over. So, we'll see you in the epilogue!


	13. Epilogue

Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween

I don't own anything but my OC's.

Epilogue

You open your eyes, blinking several times to try and focus them. When you manage to refocus your eyes, you realize you're back in the middle of the trees with the symbols on them. You look around, then hear the voice again.

_And, finally, everything worked out just fine,_

_Icky was saved, just in the nick of time,_

_But, after that night, things were never the same,_

_For the child with the word Jack picked for a name,_

_And though, with the Bogeyman, things were never a joy,_

_He was still rather fond of that skeleton boy,_

_So, many years later, he'd thought he'd drop in,_

_And there was Cobweb, older yet still rather thin,_

_With a few skeleton/rag doll children at hand,_

_Playing strange little tunes in their jazz band,_

_And he asked Cobweb,_

"_Do you remember the night,_

_When the sky was so dark,_

_And the moon shone so bright?_

_When hundreds of citizens,_

_Celebrated Halloween,_

_While you were in the graveyard,_

_Letting out scared screams?_

_And would, if you could,_

_Turn that ol' clock back,_

_To that long, fateful night,_

_When you met ol' Skeleton Jack,_

_Would you do the whole thing, all over again,  
>Knowing what you know now, knowing what you knew then?<br>And he smiled, like the little skeleton boy that he knew,  
>Then turned and asked softly of him, "Wouldn't you?"<em>

You smile, knowing that is exactly what Cobweb would do. But the voice still bothers you. You cannot remember the owner. It distracts you very much, but you shake your head. You can't remember.

You turn, then look over your shoulder; waiting to see if the voice has anything more to say. But it doesn't; it stays silent. You turn and walk away.

Suddenly, you open your eyes and you are in your home. You turn and there is a note attached to the wall:

_Until next time._

Author's note:

Me: Voila, Cobwebs Tend to Begin on Halloween is over. Thank you all for reading/reviewing and everything! So, now let's-

**Mav: Well, hang on, J. We gotta make our announcement!**

**Me: Oh, yeah!**

**Mav: Now, over the course of this story, J's been thinking. You know what that means?**

_**ATTENTION ALL COBWEBS SERIES FANS!**_

**Me: There's gonna be another Special Story! Yes, now there's gonna be four Special Stories! Exciting, eh? **

**Mav: Let's give ya the load down on it, eh?**

**We Tend to Save the Town on Halloween: Monochrome is dead. Everyone's at peace. At least, so they thought. There's a new evil. He's been waiting. And. He. Wants. Maverick.**

**- Me: Yes, a new story. **

**Mav: This one takes place after Cobwebs Tend to Want Revenge on Halloween.**

**Me: This is the story of a brand new villain, and possibly the most evil character I've come up with (FanFiction wise, at least) **

**Mav: Yeah, his name is the A-**

**Me: Mav! Don't tell them!**

**Mav: Oh, sorry.**

**Me: Anyway, I will say this: Montarg, Amanda, Maverick and- sort of- Jack have bigger parts in this story. Maverick has _a lot _to do with the villain and why our new fiend is so evil. **

**Mav: Exciting, eh? Well, we'll see ya in Maverick Tends to Arrive on Halloween!**

**Mav + Me: *Waves* Bye, guys!**


End file.
